When God calls you to serve His will, are you willing to respond affirmatively, saying, “Here I am! Send me!”? Or, are you going to say, “Sorry, not me. Find someone better qualified than me”? If the latter is the case with you, is it because you think you are not “qualified” to serve Him? Then, what makes you think that you are incompetent to serve? In other words, what is your disqualification to be at God’s service?
The readings of the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, (Isaiah 6:1-2,3-8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11), challenge us to ask ourselves how we will respond to God’s call to be at His service – regardless of what we think of our own “qualification”.
The readings also remind us that God rather calls those who are not so “qualified”. God called Isaiah, who was with עָוֹן/avon, guilt and חַטָּאָה/chattaah, sin (Isaiah 6:7). Risen Christ called Paul, who was ἔκτρωμα/ ektroma, “abnormal birth”, untimely birth (1 Corinthians 15:8). Jesus called Simon (Peter), who was with sin (Luke 5:8). Given these facts, we cannot assume that we are not fit to serve God because we think we are not good enough to be at His service.
In the eyes of humans, none of these three figures, Isaiah, Paul (Saul), and Peter (Simon), seems fit to be at God’s service because of their respective sinfulness.
It was in the year of Uzziah’s death when God appeared to Isaiah in a vision of heavenly King on His throne with seraphim, who were glorifying Him (Isaiah 6:1-4). This timing suggests that God made His revelation to Isaiah as to tell that death of Uzziah did not mean Judah lost its king for the Lord God Himself is the King in heaven. Given that Uzziah was a popular king of Judah for the kingdom thrived during his reign (2 Chronicles 26:1-15), though his pride resulted in contracting leprosy, which eventually took his life (2 Chronicles 16-23), Isaiah must have been grieving of Uzziah’s death. But, God wanted him to make something better for him than mourning Uzziah’s passing. So He appeared to him in such a way.
However, when God revealed Himself to him, Isaiah must have been frightened, as he said:
Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts! (Isaiah 6:5)
He must have thought that he had a vision of God with seraphim because God was about bring a judgement upon him for his uncleanliness. Because it had been said that one would no longer live upon seeing God (Exodus 33:20), Isaiah must have feared to have seen Him on His heavenly throne. And it instantly made him painfully aware of his guilt and sinfulness. Isaiah must have thought that a seraph was coming to him to burn him into ashes for his sinfulness, for seraph (שְׂרָף/serap) literally means “to set on fire”. But the seraph flew to Isaiah to touch his unclean mouth with burning coal from the heavenly alter for cleansing (Isaiah 6:6-7). Upon the purification of Isaiah, God on His heavenly throne spoke:
Whom shall I send? Who will go for us? (Isaiah 6:8a)
And Isaiah responded:
Here I am! Send me! (Isaiah 6:8b).
Isaiah was willing and enthusiastic to serve for God and heavenly hosts, including seraphim. Thus, he served God as a prophet to convey His words to kings of Judah. He was instrumental for Hezekiah’s reign to be in accordance with God’s will (2 Kings 18:1-20:21; Isaiah 38:1-39:9).
Though, at first, it was a frightening surprise see God on His throne in heaven, because a prospect of his death was evoked and his own guilt of sinfulness were reminded, Isaiah must have thought that he would be condemned to death. However, by His grace, he was purified to serve Him as a prophet. And the grace came to him through as an ember that was placed on his mouth by a seraph. This transformed Isaiah from a man frightened of God to a new man who was eager to be sent by Him to be at His service. Rather than being mournful of the death of Uzziah, a popular king of Judah, as God’s prophet, Isaiah helped kings of Judah govern in accordance with God’s will.
In Paul’s (Saul’s) case, he was once an enemy of Christ as he was a zealously persecuting those who believed in Christ (Acts 8:3; Philippians 3:5-6). He and his colleague were on their way to Damascus to arrest those who follow the way of Christ and bring them to Jerusalem in chain when a lightening struck him to the ground (Acts 9:1-3). Then, the ascended Christ spoke to him:
Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? (Acts 9:4)
Paul sure wondered who it was. He could have also been frightened, wondering if it was ghost of one of those whom he had persecuted. Paul had to find out who was speaking to him in such a way. So he asked:
Who are you, sir? (Acts 9:5a)
And the reply said:
I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting (Acts 9:5b).
Representing those who believed in him and followed his way with the Apostles Christ directly spoke to Paul in such a way. Christ represents those who constitute his Church, for she is his body and they are many parts of this body (1 Corinthians 12:12-17; Colossians 1:18).
At that moment, Paul could have thought his life would be taken away by him for all the offenses against him. Indeed, it was not to condemn him but to convert this fervid enemy of Christ and his Church into a ardent servant of Christ. So Christ commanded Paul:
Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do (Acts 9:6).
From that point on, Paul was no longer against Christ and his Church but for him and in his Church as the newest addition to the college of the Apostles. He was baptized by Ananias in Damascus (Acts 9:10-19) and began preaching astonishingly, proving that Jesus is the Messiah (Christ), as they wondered if Paul was the Messiah (Acts 9:20-22).
Also to the church in Corinth, Paul gave his testimony of Christ’s appearance to him, with reference to himself as the least among the Apostles:
Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me. For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me. Therefore, whether it be I or they, so we preach and so you believed (1 Corinthians 15:8-11).
In regarding himself as being born abnormally (Acts 15:8), Paul indicated that was not worthy for Christ to appear to him as he was baptized untimely by Ananias (Acts 9:10-19), while all the other Apostles were believed to have been baptized before by Jesus (i.e. John 3:22). At the same time, he was so grateful that Christ appeared to him and called him to serve as an Apostle, though he considered himself to be the least qualified to serve as Christ’s Apostle, for he had been an enemy and destroyer of the Church.
The Gospel Reading (Luke 5:1-11) describes how Jesus, the incarnated Christ, appeared to Peter (Simon) and his fishing partners, and how their lives changed upon their encounter with him.
First, let us review Jesus’ activities prior to his appearance to Peter and his fishing partner .
According to Luke, following his Baptism to initiate his public ministry (Luke 3:21-23a), being led by the Holy Spirit, Jesus spent 40 days in fasting and fended off the temptations from Satan (Luke 4:1-13). Then, in the power of the Holy Spirit, he returned to Galilee from Judea and began teaching in the synagogue, while news about him spread through the region, and everyone praised him (Luke 4:14-15).
Jesus taught in his hometown, Nazareth, and indicated his Christological (Messianic) identity by proclaiming the fulfillment of a scripture passage from Isaiah (61:1-2) (Luke 4:14-21). Those who heard his were astonished. But they also questioned if this amazing prophetic and messianic person was just Joseph’s son (Luke 4:22b). Then, Jesus described himself as a rejected prophet in his own hometown and by his people, in connection to Elijah and Elisha, who were also rejected by their own people (Luke 4:23-27). In response to this, though they spoke highly of him (Luke 4:22a) violently rejected him (Luke 4:28-30).
Then, he moved to Capernaum and taught in the synagogue there with authority to the audiences’ astonishment (Luke 4:31-32). While in the synagogue, Jesus also rebuked an evil spirit in a possessed person, to further amazement of his audience (Luke 4:33-36). So the news about Jesus spread through Capernaum and its vicinities (Luke 4:37), though he was rejected in his hometown, Nazareth (Luke 4:22b-30).
From the synagogue, Jesus came to the house of Simon (Peter) and cured severe fever of his mother-in-law (Luke 4:38-39). After sabbath, Jesus healed more people in Capernaum (Luke 4:40). However, while exorcising, demons shouted Jesus’ Messianic (Christological) identity, but he rebuked them and prohibited them from speaking about it (Luke 4:41). Then at daybreak of the day after sabbath, Jesus left Capernaum and taught in the synagogues in Judea though the crowds in Capernaum tried to keep him (Luke 4:42-44).
It looked like Jesus did not stay in Judea long. He was back in Galilee, as indicated in the Gospel Reading (Luke 5:1-11).
The crowd must have remembered Jesus, as he was impressively popular in Capernaum (Luke 4:31-42). As they listened to him, the crowd was pressing in on Jesus, when he was teaching by the Lake of Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee) (Luke 5:1). Then, he saw two fishing boats alongside the lake and fishermen washing their nets (Luke 5:2). So, he embarked on Peter’s boat and asked him to put the boat a little bit off the shore and taught the crowd from the boat (Luke 5:3) so that he would be pressed by the crowd. And Jesus certainly knew Peter well enough to get on hi boat and asked him to move the boat for him, because he cured his mother-in-law in his house before on sabbath day after teaching in the synagogue (Luke 4:38-39).
After teaching from the boat, Jesus asked Peter:
Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch (Luke 5:4).
Peter replied:
Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets (Luke 5:5).
This response of Peter suggests that he wondered why Jesus had to bother him to put the nets for a catch again, after spending all night for fishing but catching none. Nevertheless, Peter regarded Jesus above him in terms of fishing capabilities and skills, calling him “master”(ἐπιστάτης/epistates)(Luke 5:5).
Then his nets were filled with fish to the point of tearing them (Luke 5:6). The other boat had to help but the great catch resulted in filling both boats to the point of endangering them to sink (Luke 5:7).
This must have prompted Peter to suspect something divine in Jesus, for what Jesus possessed and exercised to make him and his partners to catch so many fish at once was absolutely supernatural. Sensing the divine power in Jesus, Peter must have internally trembled, knowing that he was sinful. Perhaps, Peter was thinking, “Jesus, you are not only a mater fisherman and amazing teacher and healer but you are more than human because you just showed us your divine power by making us catch so many fish after catching nothing myself. It was like you gathered countless fish in no time where there was no fish! Now what? What are you going to do with me through your divine power?”
Seeing the amazing power of Jesus and suspecting the divine power in him, Peter fell at Jesus’ knees and said:
Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man (Luke 5:8).
This time, Peter identified Jesus as “Lord”( Κύριος/kurios). This suggests that Peter was at least sensing the divine power in Jesus, if not necessarily convinced yet. This evoked a sense of shame and fear in Peter, he became so aware of his sinfulness to have interacted with an astonishing man with the divine supernatural power. Also, perhaps, it was Peter’s pride as an experienced fisherman in Galilee, to feel like being kept away from Jesus, as he must have felt loosing his faith in regard to fishing skills. So, it resulted in Peter asking Jesus to depart from him.
In response, did Jesus confronted and rebuke Peter’s sinfulness, saying, “Oh, yeah, you are a sinful man. No wonder you caught no fish. So it was a lesson for you to be aware of your sin”. No. Jesus did not touch on Peter’s sinfulness at all. Instead, while Peter and his fishing partners awestruck, Jesus said to Peter:
Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men (Luke 5:10).
And they left everything and followed Jesus (Luke 5:11).
Instead of addressing Peter’s sinfulness, Jesus gave this Galilean fisherman his assurance to make him a new person – a fisher of men from a catcher of fish. This assurance from Jesus also means that Christ found great potential in this sinful fisherman to transform him to make a great catch of men. Fast forward about 3 years from this point, Peter indeed became a great fisher of men, as he about 3,000 people at once for the nascent Church on Pentecost day (Acts 2:14-41).
God does not want us to be afraid just because we are not perfect due to our sinfulness, though it is important that we are humbly aware of our own sinfulness so that we can attain reconciliation. This is why Jesus assured Peter, saying, “Don’t be afraid”.
If we let fear keep us from Christ, who was sent for us to live fully (i.e. 1 John 4:9; cf. John 10:10), then, we may end up being slaves of fear because of sin. It means that fear can keep us from salvation. But as in the case with Peter, Paul, and Isaiah, accepting God’s call to be at His service, whether as fishers of men to make more disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) or as prophets, we can enjoy meaningful life toward salvation by being its agents. And God choses those who do not seem “qualified” for this, as Peter, Paul, Isaiah, all knew their sinfulness.
Awareness of our sinfulness can frighten us especially when encountering God lest condemnation. Perhaps, it may make us utter, “Woe is me!” But, God reveals Himself to transform us from being sinful and disqualified into being well-qualified by His grace. Through the readings of the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C (Isaiah 6:1-2,3-8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11), we see it was the case with Isaiah, Paul, and Peter.
Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful song. Know that the Lord is God, He made us, we belong to Him, we are His people, the flock he shepherds (Psalm 100:2-3).
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